Moving To Kingston,New York..Is It A Good Area? (Albany: crime, houses)

[ITLYPRD]

My husband was offered a good job at Benedictine Hospital in Kingston, New York. We plan on looking into moving there in July. We've looked at houses in the area and we were interested in house that was on a street called Clinton Ave., I believe it was. I have a 16 year old son and a 14 year old daughter, so I would like to know if the schools are good, along with the area. We are not set on purchasing the house, but we liked the look of the house, the only problem is we've only seen pictures of JUST the house. We have no clue about the area surrounding the house. We would like to visit the area first before making our decision. So please if you have any advice on Kingston, I would greatly appreciate it.(schools, taxes, crime/violence, malls, etc.) I wouldn't mind looking into surrounding areas of Kingston also. Thank You!

[Jason_Els]

Take a look at these threads.

I would be concerned about moving to Kingston itself. The surrounding area is ok though.

5 pros and 5 cons about Kingston, NY. Thinking about moving to the area Thanks!

relocating from SF to Kingston NY what areas should I avoid ?

Non-driver-move to Kingston,NY?

[salty419]

Hello,

My husband and I just finished building our house in Hurley, NY. It is just outside Kingston.........although still Kingston School District. It is on a mountain in the woods yet it is only 10 minutes from all major civilization. Just 10 minutes away there is every store you can think of including a large mall, the movie theater, all major restaurants, fast food etc. It's like the best of both worlds. Plus, we are about 20-30 minutes from major ski slopes and only 2 miles from the Ashokan reservoir. We are also 10 minutes from Woodstock, NY.

Moderator cut: advertising

Good luck in your search!

Katrina

[swipersmom]

My family moved to Kingston, NY last summer as my husband had taken a job at SUNY New Paltz. We like Kingston very much. The elementary school my children attend is very good and most of their friends from school live within walking distance of the school (as do we) which beats being bussed. There are lots of kids in the neighborhood and it is a well established, family neighborhood and very safe. Taxes are lower than in many surrounding communities, and services are better. It is also very convenient to everything. Also there are a wide variety of houses in a range of prices - if you like older houses it is great.

That said, I would probably not buy a house on Clinton Ave. It is probably one of the sketchier streets in Kingston. Some parts are worse than others. We live on Clifton Ave which is above Kingston Hospital and has beautiful views of the mountains. It is a great neighborhood. Roosevelt Park is another neighborhood we considered and I have heard that it is very nice.

I am surprized by how many people in this forum have expressed strong negative reactions to Kingston. If you want to live in the country it is probably not for you, but Kingston is a nice small city. It is walkable, and has a lot of urban amenities without real urban crime (I lived in DC and Seattle and can tell you that Kingston's crime is small potatoes). Unless you are living right in the worst parts of Kingston, or involved in gang or drug activity you are probably not going to be affected by crime in Kingston - any more than in any other of the surrounding communities.

[Hudsonvalleygirl]

Well I hope you can handle it, here it goes... First, Do NOT move to Clinton Ave. even the "nicer" parts are on the brink of the ghetto. The whole midtown area is dangerous, there was a fatal shooting (of a 16 year old) a few blocks away on Henry St. in January, and a recent drive- by also on Henry St. There is an encroaching gang element of "bloods", "Cripts", and some weird gang called "exit-19" (referring to Kingston's NYS thruway exit). The police here are poorly trained for these situations and are scared themselves, if you call them about a fight in progress they will tell you to go outside and get information.

The best areas of Kingston are not in the city proper, but in the surrounding towns such as Esopus, Town of Ulster, Lake Katrine, Certain "parts" of Port Ewen (River road), Ulster Park, West Park, Hurley, Stone Ridge and parts of Saugerties. Benedictine is a good hospital, but has just been forced to merge with Kingston Hospital, so I hope it can maintain the same level of excellence.


The high school is mediocre at best. There are many gangs in the school, overcrowded and has some "racial issues". Last year, a white kid was beaten up by a black kid, and the KKK and other white supremacist groups came to Kingston to protest. Though I must say Kingston did repel them quite well.

If you do choose to live within the city limits :-0 just remember stay away from midtown, especially if you have teenage children. Use caution with Downtown there are Jamaican gangs, and Broadway East a very large low- income Project. Uptown is the best choice around Linderman Ave, Washington Ave., Emerson St., Miller's lane, Merritt Ave. Mountain View, Ringtop and Overlook Rd. Though around Benedictine is also very nice, the best streets include : Mary's Ave, Pine Grove, West O'Reilly, Andrews st. ,West Chester st. and I've saved the best for last *West Chestnut Street. These are very close to the high school and the hospital--- and there are no gangs.


I hope you look into Kingston more and read some of the newspapers like the Daily Freeman (midhudsoncentral.com). If you really want to find out what the neighborhood is like ask the realtor for the name, and address (if possible a phone number) of a neighbor and ask them about the area. Best of luck with your search and welcome to the area.

[Joe L]

Originally Posted by Hudsonvalleygirl

Last year, a white kid was beaten up by a black kid, and the KKK and other white supremacist groups came to Kingston to protest. Though I must say Kingston did repel them quite well.

That kid was beaten so badly his eyeball was in a saline bag. The DA, Mayor and the "Bernie Fife" police dept were afraid to prosecute the 300 pound gansta in fear of "more trouble".
Talkshow host Hal Turner arranged a protest that cost the city $100,000, braught in police from 300 miles away to keep order.
Hal Turner and his people threatend to come back if justice was not served and "order restored" ..THEN they Kingston DA decided to prosecute and let his police put all the bullets in there guns!
The thugg got 3 years in jail, beatings of white kids in that school have stopped

Moderator cut: image copyright

[Hudsonvalleygirl]

of the intellectual wasteland Kingston has become :

"That kid was beaten so badly his eyeball was in a saline bag. The DA, Mayor and the "Bernie Fife" police dept were afraid to prosecute the 300 pound gansta in fear of "more trouble".
Talkshow host Hal Turner arranged a protest that cost the city $100,000, braught in police from 300 miles away to keep order.
Hal Turner and his people threatend to come back if justice was not served and "order restored" ..THEN they Kingston DA decided to prosecute and let his police put all the bullets in there guns!
The thugg got 3 years in jail, beatings of white kids in that school have stopped"

Hence, try to find the best program at the sole high school in Kingston for your children. The above comment is a typical product of the disenfranchised underclass that makes up the majority of the city. Also, look at private schools there aren't many but it's well worth the search.

[Joe L]

Originally Posted by Hudsonvalleygirl

Also, look at private schools there aren't many but it's well worth the search.

What kind of advice is that?
She has a teenage boy and girl what are they supposed to do outside school in that gang ridden slum. It’s just as bad as the south Bronx in 1975 or Fredricksted in St.Croix after dark, you need an armed guard to walk. Those "bucks" will tear that teenage girl apart. That’s a hell of a way to grow up!
People who live around Kingston including that dopy "son-in law" police dept fail to realize what they really have going on up there

[yvounneku]

Hi, there

I am going to work in that hospital next month. How is the area there ? So far , I have not been there .Can you give me some advice ?

Thanks,

Yvonne

[Logan11]

Well I lived in Saugerties for many years (now Albany area) and I will say that of the Hudson Valley cities...Kingston is about the best. Yeah it has its ghettos and I'm sure they can be ugly, but its better than Poughkeepsie and head and shoulders above Newburgh.

That said....I wouldn't send my kid to public school there ...try Coleman Catholic HS if you choose to live within the Kingston Consolidated School District. Unfortunately they would be exposed to the bad element in public school and while that may only be 20% of all of the students - I would worry about it.


Keep in mind that the bad incidents that they describe above probably don't touch 90% of the people in the greater Kingston area so don't get the idea that the area as a whole is one big slum. What is happening though is a general movement up from NYC and this is bringing plenty of middle class and upscale people and also the gangs, etc. of the inner city into the oldest run down sections of the Hudson Valley cities.

Saugerties would actually be a good option for you.....